Elevator scraper



Oct. 18, 1960 A. w. HANNER ETAL ELEVATOR SCRAPEZR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1INVkNTORS @5101.

Allen W Hanner Joseph C. Krafky Filed NOV. 25, 1957 1950 A. w. HANNER ETAL 2,956,353

ELEVATOR SCRAPER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1957 Allen W Hanner I 1Jo h Km), 1A VEATORS mm mm on mm mm wv & X 9

Oct. 18, 1960 A. w. HANNER EIAL 2,956,353

ELEVATOR SCRAPER 1N VEN TOR$ Y Ammo 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Allen W HannerJoseph 0. Kr k) Filed Nov. 25, 1957 United States Patent F ELEVATORSCRAPER Allen W. Hanner, Bellwood, and Joseph C. Kratky, Columbus,Nebr., assignors to The Soil Mover Corporation, Columbus, Nebr., acorporation of Nebraska Filed Nov. 25, 1957, Ser. No. 698,502

' l 4 Claims. c1. 37-8) This invention relates to earth moving equipmentand more particularly to an elevating scraper.

An object of this invention is to provide an earth mov- 2,956,353Patented Oct. 18, 1960 7 the blade of the machine body. Preparatory tounloading, the hydraulic cylinders extending between the yoke and themain frame are adjusted so that the desired distance between the bottomof the body and the grade is obtained, this representing the thicknessof fill which is to be applied. Then the machine is moved forward anding machine which possesses the combination of a loading elevator sothat a given amount of dirt can be loaded into the body of the machinewith considerably less power than required by a conventional scraper,and a push-offejector to unload the body uniformly over the edge of thecutter blade at the front of the body. The result is that for unloading,the machine body can be set to a selected height above the grade and theejector will uniformly move the dirt from the body while the body andblade function as a levelling device for the soil.

- Our scraper possesses many general advantages over commerciallyavailable equipment and the structure which we use to illustrate anembodiment of our invention possesses a number of unique features.

the ejector moved smoothly and at a uniform speed from the rear part ofthe body to the front or bladed end thereof. In this way high centeringis virtually impossible and unloading is achieved with a lower powerrequirement.

Other objects and features of importance will become apparent infollowing the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of an elevator scraper which is constructed inaccordance with the invention, the body of the machine shown in thefully raised position, as for transit.

Figure 2 is a top view of the machine in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the hydraulic circuit of themachine.

bottom dump method of dirt ejection that has numerous disadvantages. Thedepth of spread or fill cannot be controlled except by forward motion ofthe machine itself, or by regulating the hydraulic controls. Neither wayis accurate to any substantial degree. With the bottom dump it ispossible to high center the machine by dirt dumping out of it extremelyfast and building from the ground up into the bowl, thereby causing themachine to be high centered. In the instance where they are being pulledby wheeled tractors it is necessary for the operator to either dig itout or get more traction power to free the unit. In dirt conditions thatare sticky, the loads of dirt either completely hang up in the bucket,or will drop out at irregular intervals as the machines bounces alongand shakes the dirt loose.

We avoid these difliculties and objections by the pushoff ejector. Theblade of the bowl or body of our machine can be set to any predeterminedheight above the ground because there are means furnished for thispurpose. The dirt is shoved off of the machine by pushing it over thefront or cutting edge of the blade. levels the dirt to a uniformthickness while the ejector pushes all of the dirt out at a uniform rateof speed, eliminating all sporadic dumping. With ground left rough, suchas will be the case by bottom dumping, a considerable damage is done toequipment and it is necessary to go behind the scraper and level off thearea.

The elevator scraper has a frame that is supported by ground engagingmembers, as wheels, at one end and by hydraulic cylinders at the otherend on a part of a yoke. The yoke constitutes a part of a dolly which isto be drawn by a tractor or other source of traction power. The frame ofthe machine is pivoted between its wheel supported end and its hydrauliclift supported end 'by pivots at the extremities of the sides of theyoke. By virtue of this construction the frame is capable of beingadjusted with respect to the ground level for cutting, loading andunloading.

We have mounted an elevator conveyor with, what we consider to. beuniquecontrols, above the blade of the machine body and in such a manner thatthe elevator can Figure 4 is a side view of the machine of Figure 1 butshowing it adjusted and used to scrape a surface. Figure 5 is anelevational view of the machine showing it in the unloading position.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a front view of our machine.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown a machine 10 whichexemplifies the principles of our inven- The blade I tion. The machineis an elevating scraper and has a main frame 12 constructed ofstructural framework and supported by ground engaging members, as wheels13 and 14 on axle 15 that is carried at the rear end of frame 12. Thefront part of the frame is connected to dolly 18 consisting of Wheels 19and 20 on an axle 22 that is connected with yoke 24 by a fifth wheel 25.Tongue 26 that has a coupling 27 adapted to connect to a tractiondevice, is braced and secured to axle 22. Yoke 24 has a cross member 29together with parallel sides 30 and 31 fixed at the ends of the crossmember. A goose neck 32 is secured to cross member 29 intermediate itsends and is operatively connected with the fifth wheel 25. Liftcylinders 33 and 34 are pivoted to cylinder hangers 35 and 36 that arefixed to cross member 29 and that are located between the sides 30 and31 of yoke 24. Cylinders 33 and 34 are pivoted to the front ends of theside main frame members 38 and 39 which extend forward ofthe trusses 40and 41 and to which the body or bowl 42 of the scraper is attached.Upstanding brackets 43 and 44 are secured to the main frame members 38and 39 in the region of the trusses 40 and 41. Pivots 45 and 46 are inthese upstanding brackets 43 and 44, and also in apertures in the endsof the yoke sides 30 and 31, thereby pivotally connecting the main frame12 to the sides of the yoke at a location intermediate the front andrear ends of the main frame.

The bowl or body 42 of the machine has a pair of sides 48, 49 and areinforced bottom 50 attached to the lower parts of the sides. The frontof the bowl is open, and there is a cutter blade 51 attachedto the frontend of the bottom 50 at a declination to the bottom. The rear of thebowl is open and is occupied by a push-off ejector 52 with a lower edge53 that is very close to the surface of the bot-tom 50. The side edgesof ejector 52 are very close to the sides 48 and 49 of the body 42,

The elevator rests upon Push-off cylinder 54 has its forward end in well55 which is formed in the ejector 52. The opposite end of push-offcylinder 54 is fixed to the frame 12 by a number of diagonal braces 57(Figure 2) which extend from cylinder 54 to the rear end of theframework. When the cylinder 54 is operated, the ejector moves forwardlyto push the soil from the bowl, sliding it over the cutter blade 51.

Elevator 66 is mounted on the trusses 40 and 41 by being connected tovertical supports 61 and 62 that are fixed to the trusses '40 and 41.The elevator consists of an endless conveyor that'has two chains 63 and64 whose upper and lower ends are mounted on upper and lower pairs ofsprockets 65 and 66. The sprockets 65 are secured to shaft 67 that ismounted for rotation in bearings 68 and 69 (Figure 2) on supports 61 and62. A fluid or mechanical transmission 70 is on support 62 and isdrivingly connected to shaft 67 through a flexible coupling 71. Cleats72 extend across the chains and are secured to them. The lower pair ofsprockets are mounted for free rotation on or for rotation with shaft 74that is carried in bearings of rectangular frame 75. This frame islocated within the elevator chains and has openings at its upper endfreely receiving shaft 67. Accordingly, the longitudinal axis of theshaft 67 establishes an axis of pivotal movement for the frame 75 andthe elevator carried by it.

The elevator is actuated through shafting 78 which is drivinglyconnected to the transmission 70 by a universal joint. There is anotheruniversal joint in the shafting at the fifth wheel 25 and another nearthe fifth wheel to permit the dolly 18 to be operated as such when drawnby a tractor. The shafting is driven from the power takeoff of thetraction vehicle thereby causing the elevator to be actuated.

There are means for raising the elevator '60 independent of theadjustment of the main frame with respect to yoke 24. These meanscomprise an elevator lift cylinder 80 that has one end pivoted to thecross member 29 of yoke 24 and has a pulley 81'on its opposite end. Acable 82 has one end anchored to the yoke and is entrained over pulley81. The so-called end of the cable 82 which is attached to yoke 24 isactually an intermediate part of the cable leaving one end portion whichpasses over pulley 81 and a guide pulley 83 that is carried by amounting bracket 84 on side 31 of the yoke. An upright pulley 85 onbracket 86 of side 31 guides the cable portion to a terminal connectionon rod 87. This rod is welded or otherwise fixed to one side of frame75. The other portion 88 of cable 82 is entrained over pulley 81 andpulley 83 and over pulleys 89 and 90 which are carried by side 30 ofyoke 24 and which correspond to pulleys 83 and 85. Portion 88 of thecable is attached to rod '91 that is secured to frame 75 and thatprotrudes laterally therefrom. Rods 91 and 87 are in axial alignment andthey function not only as a means by which the cables are attached tothe elevator but also as a means for establishing a lower limit oftravel of the elevator. This is achieved by having them rest on stops 92and 93 that are secured to the inside surface of the main frame members39 and 38 (Figure 2). Therefore, the elevator can be lowered by gravityto the lowermost position (Figure 4) with respect to the frame. Theframe 12 of the machine can be lowered farther than the position shownin Figure 4, however, the elevator retains its lower limit of travelwith respect to the main frame.

In use of our machine, the transportation adjustment is shown inFigure 1. Here the elevator 60 is in the lowermost position with respectto the main frame 12, and the main frame is raised to its highestposition to give the greatest ground clearance. At this time shafting 78is disconnected, as by being de-clutched at the tractor power take-off.

For taking a cut, the desired depth of cut is selected by actuating thelift cylinders 33, 34 insuch direction as to depress the frame 12,enabling the elevator 60 to be lowered with it. Ejector 52 is returnedto the rearmost position in the body 42.by the double acting pushoifcylinder 54. In moving rearward as well as moving forward, the ejector52 is constrained in its travel by guide 95 which has a wheel assembly96 constrained to travel in tube 97. The tube is attached to the rearend of the frame 12 and guide rod 98 is secured to the rear part ofejector 52. Slot 99 isin the tube 97 and hasa. part of the assembly 96passed through it.

With the ejector in the rearmost position (Figure 4) and the elevator inthe lowered position, the cutter blade 51 makes the cut as the machinemoves forward. When the soil accumulates in front of the cutter blade 51and builds up to sufiicient height to be contacted by the elevator, theelevator propels the soil rearwardly, preventing too great a build up atthe front of the bowl of the machine. tion power.

When an immovable object or comparatively hard object (a stone) is met,the elevator is capable of lifting over it because the cable 82, 88provides a lower limit but yields insofar as upper limit of the elevatoris concerned. The elevator can swing about the upper shaft 67 as an axisof pivotal motion and thereby ride over any large objects which are tobe received in the scraper body 42.

When the body becomes filled, the operator selects the height at whichhe wishes the soil to be distributed by operating the lift cylinders 33,34. Then, the machine is moved forward (Figure 5 the elevator lifted byactuation of the elevator lift cylinder 80 and the ejector is movedforward at a uniform rate of speed. This evenly distributes a uniformlythick or uniformly thin layer of soil as the machine moves forward. Whencompletely unloaded, the operator again adjusts the machine to makeanother run.

The hydraulic circuit has suitable valves 100 and 102, ordinary pipelines and a conventional pump and tank. One feature of the hydraulicsystem is that the elevator lift cylinder 80 and the push-off cylinder54 are locked for dependent operation. When valve 102 is operated, theelevator lift cylinder 80 is first actuated because it requires lesspressure than the push-01f cylinder 54. When the elevator lift cylinder80 has reached the extent of its travel and has thereby raised theelevator to the uppermost position, the oil pressure continues to buildup until sufiicient pressure is available to operate the cylinder 54.This moves the ejector forward and as it so.

moves the soil falls over the blade 51 and spreads. When the unloadingis completed, the push-off cylinder 54 is returned to its rearmostposition by again operating valve 102. The elevator remains in theraised position during the return of the apron because it is held bymeans of pressure relief valve 104 connected in the hydraulic cylinderline next to the cylinder 81. When the push-01f cylinder 54 iscompletely retracted, oil pressure builds in the line and at the desiredpressure level, the pressure relief valve 104 opens and thereby permitsthe elevator 60 to lower. At this time the machine is ready forreloading. It is understood that the valves 102 and 100 can beconveniently located on the traction vehicle.

It is understood that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the invention. Therefore, limitation is soughtonly in accordance with the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In an earth moving machine, the combination of an elongated framehaving front and rear ends, means for raising and lowering said framerelative to the ground, a scraper bowl carried by said frame and havingan open front provided with a scraper blade, a rearwardly inclinedendless conveyor having its upper end pivotally mounted on said frameabove an intermediate portion of said bowl for raising and loweringmovement, the lower This enables complete loading with less trac-- endof said conveyor being disposed adjacent said scraper blade when theconveyor is lowered and substantially at the top of the bowl when theconveyor is raised, power means for raising said conveyor, an ejectorprovided at the back of said bowl and slidable forwardly thereinsubstantially to said scraper blade, power means for sliding saidejector, and means operatively connecting said first and secondmentioned power means whereby the second power means are actuated inresponse to and upon completion of actuation of the first power means toslide said ejector forwardly after said conveyor is raised.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means operativelyconnecting said first and second power means include means for retainingsaid conveyor in its raised position by the first power means until saidejector is slid rearwardly in said bowl by the second power means.

3. In an earth moving machine, the combination of an elongated framehaving front and rear ends, means for raising and lowering said framerelative to the ground, a scraper bowl carried by said frame and havingan open front provided with a scraper blade, a horizontal shaftextending transversely of and rotatably journalled on said framesubstantially above said scraper bowl and intermediate the front andrear ends of the latter, a pair of transversely spaced elongatedconveyor frame members pivotally mounted at one end thereof on saidshaft for raising and lowering movement and extending forwardly anddownwardly into the open front of said bowl when in their loweredposition, a second shaft rotatably mounted in the lower ends of saidconveyor frame members, pairs of transversely spaced sprockets providedon the first and second mentioned shafts, a pair of endless 6 chainspassing around said sprockets, a set of spaced cleats extendingtransversely of and secured to said chains, power means for rotating thefirst mentioned shaft for driving said chains whereby earth accumulatingin the open front of said scraper bowl may be picked up by said cleatsand propelled rearwardly in the bowl, and means for raising and loweringsaid conveyor frame members.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for raising andlowering said conveyor frame members comprise a cable anchored at oneend thereof to said frame and connected at its other end to one of saidframe members, a power cylinder carried by the frame and including areciprocable piston rod, and a pulley rotatably mounted on said pistonrod and operatively engaging an intermediate portion of said cable.

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